Cassette lock ring will not budge

[slowmotion]

That's a very poor tool for the job. The offset is too much and much of your force goes into levering the tool out of its seat in the lockring. The lever needs to be as close to the lockring as possible.

A job like this is a problem for a workshop. Most people start all helpful and first break the weakest tool, then the second-weakest, then skin some knuckes, then bend the expensive ParkTool heavy duty chain whip, then then then.....

At the end of the day, as a respect to everyone's safety and sanity, an air impact driver saves the most money and skin. Let the customer pay or have him take it back tot he culprit.

I must have a special gift! I actually managed to change wheels on the van.

It's a miracle I tell you!

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I must have a special gift! I actually managed to change wheels on the van.

It's a miracle I tell you!

No need to get sarcastic. It is great for wheelnuts and I have one in each one of our cars. It is a powerful tool. I did describe its downfall but if you have a way to overcome that for the situation at hand, good for you. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I got fed up with one stubborn Ultegra cassette so carefully hacksawed through one of the spacers (and not the freehub).

Once the spacer was removed I pushed the small ring away from the locknut and then gave it another heave - with success!

I got fed up with one stubborn Ultegra cassette so carefully hacksawed through one of the spacers (and not the freehub).

Once the spacer was removed I pushed the small ring away from the locknut and then gave it another heave - with success!

Interesting approach and one I've never thought about. Tell me, since the small sprocket has a blind spline, it cannot move deep onto the freehub body. If you attempt to put just a small sprocket on the freehub you'll see what I mean. Did it move just enough to free of some space between lockring and small sprocket? The fact that you say in spite of that bit of movement, it still needed a good heave, then makes me wonder where the lockring makes contact. From your description the lockring's flange and the lockring's inside edge makes contact on two places.

I want to figure this out and have, for once and all, a nice foolproof way to dealing with the problem. I'll patent it and make a fortune. Not.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I have a large torque wrench that I've had for years, I tend to use it to remove the lock nut as well as torque it up after, although have a breaker bar as an option (a bit longer than the torque wrench) I use a 1/2" drive cassette removal tool. The first time we had to do it on the Sirrus it was too tight to budge, it was to replace a broken spoke so as the bike was only a few months old I took it back to the LBS, got them to do a service as well as the spoke change and told them the lock ring was over tightened. Have done a number now, the initial force to get the lock ring to move can be a bit surprising, but with a bit of grunt and being careful to keep the tool in line it's yet to be a problem. For the OP, definitely go and get better tools. It's amazing how an impossible job suddenly becomes doable with the right tool, something it took me far too long to learn.

 

[accountantpete]

Interesting approach and one I've never thought about. Tell me, since the small sprocket has a blind spline, it cannot move deep onto the freehub body. If you attempt to put just a small sprocket on the freehub you'll see what I mean. Did it move just enough to free of some space between lockring and small sprocket? The fact that you say in spite of that bit of movement, it still needed a good heave, then makes me wonder where the lockring makes contact. From your description the lockring's flange and the lockring's inside edge makes contact on two places.

I want to figure this out and have, for once and all, a nice foolproof way to dealing with the problem. I'll patent it and make a fortune. Not.

This was a few years ago but on that model the small ring had a serrated face which mated with the lockring tp prevent it from undoing naturally. As you say, removing the spacer enabled the small sprocket to move slightly breaking that bond so that I was now able to concentrate on the lockring's internal thread with the freehub.

 

[Crankarm]

Amateur! You need good tools then you won't have a problem. A long handled heavy duty Pro chain whip, a specific lock ring nut tool and a large adjustable wrench. If it has been way over tightened and now seized you could use a 3/4" socket and breaker bar with a 2-3ft extension bar which would probably destroy your wheel the amount of torque you could get on it. Why not take your wheel and your tools along to a local garage and get them to use their air gun to shift the lock ring?

When replacing the cassette on the free hub body make sure you put some grease on the threads of the lock ring or threads on the internal surface of the free hub body and use a torque wrench so you don't over tighten the lock ring AGAIN. Doh!

Btw what sort of condition is the wheel in? If it is a pile of old crap then it might be as well to bin it and get a new wheel preferably a much better one with good hub?

 

[Goobs]

I gave the vice and whip a go. One broken whip later...
Before anyone asks I bought my high quality tools from Lidl. £24.99 for the full bike tools set. No really - you do get what you pay for.
So today I took it the wheel into Halfords and waited for 20 minutes when the very helpful guy came back and said it is seriously stuck on but another bike guy is coming on later and he might be able to offer a new angle of attack.
Fingers crossed!

The wheel is off my 4 year old hybrid Ridgeback Flight 01 and was not broken prior to this but I suspect that it will NEED a new cassette fitting after all the hammer it has had lately. If it was a badly fitted lock ring then would that be the bike shop it came from or the manufacturer to blame ?

 

[User6179]

I wonder why they don't put a reverse thread on cassettes , that way you would need a chain whip to put it on but you would not need one to take it off then you have less chance of over tightening and even if you did it would be easier to remove it .

 

[Goobs]

Update!
Halfords rang and another broken whip later plus using a breaker bar and they have freed the lock ring !

Another satisfied Halfords customer to add to the list

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I gave the vice and whip a go. One broken whip later...
Before anyone asks I bought my high quality tools from Lidl. £24.99 for the full bike tools set. No really - you do get what you pay for.
So today I took it the wheel into Halfords and waited for 20 minutes when the very helpful guy came back and said it is seriously stuck on but another bike guy is coming on later and he might be able to offer a new angle of attack.
Fingers crossed!

The wheel is off my 4 year old hybrid Ridgeback Flight 01 and was not broken prior to this but I suspect that it will NEED a new cassette fitting after all the hammer it has had lately. If it was a badly fitted lock ring then would that be the bike shop it came from or the manufacturer to blame ?

The blame lies with who ever fitted the ring in the first place. You must figure out who assembled the bike. A properly torqued lockring NEVER does that. Your story illustrates my point beautifully. As a matter of interest, did Halfords ask you to pay for the broken tools? These seemingly innocent jobs come into a workshop and create havoc with time, tools and knuckles.

 

[Robeh]

Update!
Halfords rang and another broken whip later plus using a breaker bar and they have freed the lock ring !

Another satisfied Halfords customer to add to the list

Are their Any Other Satified Customers Out Thier

 

[Robeh]

My Cassette Removal Tools..Never Let Me Down Yet lol

 

[Goobs]

The blame lies with who ever fitted the ring in the first place. You must figure out who assembled the bike. A properly torqued lockring NEVER does that. Your story illustrates my point beautifully. As a matter of interest, did Halfords ask you to pay for the broken tools? These seemingly innocent jobs come into a workshop and create havoc with time, tools and knuckles.

I am picking it up after work so will advise later.

My Cassette Removal Tools..Never Let Me Down Yet lol

How do you keep the cassette from spinning ?

 

[Robeh]

I am picking it up after work so will advise later.



How do you keep the cassette from spinning ?

i lent my whip to a mate so not in the pic

 

[mybike]

When replacing the cassette on the free hub body make sure you put some grease on the threads of the lock ring or threads on the internal surface of the free hub body and use a torque wrench so you don't over tighten the lock ring AGAIN. Doh!

My understanding is that you _never_ put grease on a thread you are going to torque up to.

Surely no one tightens the ring that much with the sort of tool described above. It must somehow tighten with use.